Reduced finger end MOSFET breakdown voltage (BV) for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to electro static discharge (ESD) protection circuitry. Multiple techniques are presented to adjust one or more ends of one or more fingers of an ESD protection device so that the ends of the fingers have a reduced initial trigger or breakdown voltage as compared to other portions of the fingers, and in particular to central portions of the fingers. In this manner, most, if not all, of the adjusted ends of the fingers are likely to trigger or fire before any of the respective fingers completely enter a snapback region and begin to conduct ESD current. Consequently, the ESD current is more likely to be distributed among all or substantially all of the plurality of fingers rather than be concentrated within one or merely a few fingers. As a result, potential harm to the ESD protection device (e.g., from current crowding) is mitigated and the effectiveness of the device is improved.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the art of semiconductordevices, and more particularly to improved MOSFET electrostaticdischarge (ESD) protection devices having reduced finger end breakdownvoltages (BV).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a continuing problem in the design andmanufacture of semiconductor devices. Integrated circuits (ICs) can bedamaged by ESD events stemming from a variety of sources, in which largecurrents flow through the device. In one such ESD event, a packaged ICacquires a charge when it is held by a human whose body iselectrostatically charged. An ESD event occurs when the IC is insertedinto a socket, and one or more of the pins of the IC package touch thegrounded contacts of the socket. This type of event is known as a humanbody model (HBM) ESD stress. For example, a charge of about 0.6 μC canbe induced on a body capacitance of 150 pF, leading to electrostaticpotentials of 4 kV or greater. HBM ESD events can result in a dischargefor about 100 nS with peak currents of several amperes to the IC.Another source of ESD is from metallic objects, known as the machinemodel (MM) ESD source, which is characterized by a greater capacitanceand lower internal resistance than the HBM ESD source. The MM ESD modelcan result in ESD transients with significantly faster rise times thanthe HBM ESD source. A third ESD model is the charged device model (CDM),which involves situations where an IC becomes charged and discharges toground. In this model, the ESD discharge current flows in the oppositedirection in the IC than that of the HBM ESD source and the MM ESDsource. CDM pulses also typically have very fast rise times compared tothe HBM ESD source.

ESD events typically involve discharge of current between one or morepins or pads exposed to the outside of an integrated circuit chip. SuchESD current flows from the pad to ground through vulnerable circuitry inthe IC, which may not be designed to carry such currents. Many ESDprotection techniques have been thusfar employed to reduce or mitigatethe adverse effects of ESD events in integrated circuit devices. Manyconventional ESD protection schemes for ICs employ peripheral dedicatedcircuits to carry the ESD currents from the pin or pad of the device toground by providing a low impedance path thereto. In this way, the ESDcurrents flow through the protection circuitry, rather than through themore susceptible circuits in the chip.

Such protection circuitry is typically connected to I/O and other pinsor pads on the IC, wherein the pads further provide the normal circuitconnections for which the IC was designed. Some ESD protection circuitscarry ESD currents directly to ground, and others provide the ESDcurrent to the supply rail of the IC for subsequent routing to ground.Rail-based ESD protection devices can be employed to provide a bypasspath from the IC pad to the supply rail (e.g., VDD) of the device.Thereafter, circuitry associated with powering the chip is used toprovide such ESD currents to the ground. Local ESD protection devicesare more common, however, wherein the ESD currents are provided directlyto ground from the pad or pin associated with the ESD event. Individuallocal ESD protection devices are typically provided at each pin on anIC, with the exception of the ground pin or pins.

One common technique for creating local ESD protection devices forprotection of metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) ICs is to create anN-channel MOS transistor device (NMOS), in which a parasitic bipolartransistor (e.g., a lateral NPN, or LNPN) associated with the NMOSdevice turns on to conduct ESD currents from the pad to ground. Thebipolar transistor is formed from the NMOS device, wherein the P-typedoped channel between the drain and source acts as the NPN base, and theN-type drain and source act as the bipolar collector and emitter,respectively. Typically, the drain of the NMOS is connected to the pador pin to be protected and the source and gate are tied to ground.Current flowing through the substrate to ground creates a base toemitter voltage (Vbe) sufficient to turn on the bipolar device, wherebyfurther ESD current flows from the drain (collector) at the pad to thegrounded source (emitter).

The parasitic bipolar transistor (LNPN) operates in a snapback regionwhen the ESD event brings the potential of the pad or pin positive withrespect to ground. In order to provide effective ESD protection, it isdesirable to provide an LNPN having a low trigger voltage to beginsnapback operation, as well as a high ESD current capability within thesnapback region. In practice, the LNPN enters the snapback region ofoperation upon reaching an initial trigger voltage Vt1 having acorresponding current It1. Thereafter, the LNPN conducts ESD current toground to protect other circuitry in the IC, so long as the ESD currentdoes not exceed a second breakdown current level It2 with acorresponding voltage Vt2. If the ESD stress currents exceed It2,thermal runaway is induced in the ESD protection device, wherein thereduction of the impact ionization current is offset by the thermalgeneration of carriers. This breakdown is initiated in a device understress as a result of self-heating, and causes failure of the ESDprotection device, allowing ESD currents to potentially damage othercircuitry in the IC. To avoid such ESD protection device failure and theassociated IC damage, it is therefore desirable to provide ESDprotection devices having high It2 breakdown current ratings.

To achieve high breakdown current ratings, such devices typicallyinclude multiple fingers or clamps, which are effectively paralleltransistors among which the ESD current is distributed or shared. Oneproblem with such multi-finger devices is found where respective initialtrigger voltages Vt1 differ slightly among the different transistors orfingers. In this situation, one or merely a few fingers of the devicemay turn on, causing this portion of the device to operate in snapbackmode. Thereafter, the remaining fingers may not reach Vt1 due to thesnapback operation of the triggered finger(s). As a result, the full ESDcurrent conduction capability for the LNPN is not utilized, and thecurrent may exceed second breakdown levels for the finger (or relativelyfew fingers) operating in the snapback region, resulting in thermaldevice failure. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide amulti-finger ESD protection device where the plurality of fingerstrigger concurrently so as to mitigate current crowding and potentialresulting damage to the ESD protection device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not anextensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identifykey or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope ofthe invention. Rather, the primary purpose of this summary is to presentsome concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to themore detailed description that is presented later.

The present invention relates to electro static discharge (ESD)protection circuitry. Multiple techniques are presented to adjust one ormore ends of one or more fingers of an ESD protection device so that theends of the fingers have a reduced initial trigger or breakdown voltageas compared to other portions of the fingers, and in particular tocentral portions of the fingers. In this manner, most, if not all, ofthe treated ends of the fingers are likely to trigger or fire before anyof the respective fingers completely enter a snapback region and beginto conduct ESD current. Consequently, the ESD current is more likely tobe distributed among all or substantially all of the plurality offingers rather than be concentrated within one or merely a few fingers.As a result, potential harm to the ESD protection device (e.g., fromcurrent crowding) is mitigated and the effectiveness of the device isimproved.

According to one or more aspects of the present invention, and ESDprotection device operative to protect an associated integrated circuitfrom and ESD event is disclosed. The device includes a MOS devicecomprising a plurality of elongate or longitudinally extendingsource/drain regions that form fingers. At least some portion of one ormore end regions of the fingers has a dopant characteristic that variesrelative to respective middle regions of the fingers. In this manner,the varied end regions have an initial trigger voltage that is lowerthan a trigger voltage at the middle regions of the fingers.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the followingdescription and annexed drawings set forth in detail certainillustrative aspects and implementations of the invention. These areindicative of but a few of the various ways in which the principles ofthe invention may be employed. Other aspects, advantages and novelfeatures of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description of the invention when considered in conjunctionwith the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a schematic diagram illustrating an I/O pin of an integratedcircuit (IC) operatively coupled to an NPN electrostatic discharge (ESD)protection device for protecting the IC during an ESD event.

FIG. 1 b is a sectional side elevation view illustrating an NMOStransistor and associated lateral bipolar NPN (LNPN) transistoroperating in the ESD protection device depicted in FIG. 1 a.

FIG. 1 c is another schematic diagram illustrating an I/O pin of an ICoperatively coupled to a PNP based ESD protection device for protectingthe IC during an ESD event.

FIG. 1 d is a sectional side elevation view illustrating a PMOStransistor and associated lateral bipolar PNP (LPNP) transistoroperating in the ESD protection device depicted in FIG. 1 c.

FIG. 2 a is a graph illustrating a current versus voltage curve for afinger of an ESD protection device.

FIG. 2 b is a graph illustrating a more desirable current versus voltagecurve for a finger of an ESD protection device.

FIG. 3 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon an ESD protection device can be fashioned inaccordance with one or more aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 b is a cross sectional side view of the structure depicted inFIG. 3 a taken along line 3 b—3 b.

FIG. 3 c is a cross sectional side view of the structure depicted inFIG. 3 a taken along line 3 c—3 c.

FIG. 4 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective NMOS structures in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 4 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 4 a taken along line 4 b—4 b.

FIG. 4 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 4 a taken along line 4 c—4 c.

FIG. 5 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective PMOS structures in accordance with one ormore aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 5 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 5 a taken along line 5 b—5 b.

FIG. 5 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 5 a taken along line 5 c—5 c.

FIG. 6 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective NMOS structures in accordance with one ormore other aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 6 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 6 a taken along line 6 b—6 b.

FIG. 6 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 6 a taken along line 6 c—6 c.

FIG. 7 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective PMOS structures in accordance with one ormore other aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 7 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 7 a taken along line 7 b—7 b.

FIG. 7 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 7 a taken along line 7 c—7 c.

FIG. 8 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective NMOS structures in accordance with one ormore further aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 8 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 8 a taken along line 8 b—8 b.

FIG. 8 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 8 a taken along line 8 c—8 c.

FIG. 9 a is a top plan view illustrating a section of a semiconductorsubstrate whereon a plurality of fingers of an ESD protection device arefashioned utilizing respective PMOS structures in accordance with one ormore further aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 9 b is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 9 a taken along line 9 b—9 b.

FIG. 9 c is a cross sectional side view of the depiction presented inFIG. 9 a taken along line 9 c—9 c.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

One or more aspects of the present invention are described withreference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are generallyutilized to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the variousstructures are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the followingdescription, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or moreaspects of the present invention. It may be evident, however, to oneskilled in the art that one or more aspects of the present invention maybe practiced with a lesser degree of these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known structures and/or devices are shown in blockdiagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more aspects ofthe present invention.

The invention relates to electro static discharge (ESD) protectiondevices, and more particularly to treatments for ESD devices thatimprove their performance and reliability. In particular, one or moreend regions of one or more fingers of an ESD protection device aretreated so that the ends of these fingers fire before any of the fingersbegin to completely conduct ESD current. The treatment lowers theinitial triggering voltage Vt1 of the ends of the fingers as compared tothe triggering voltages of the middle regions of the fingers. In thismanner, ESD current is more likely to be spread out among all orsubstantially all of the fingers rather than be crowded or concentratedwithin one or merely a few fingers that enter a snapback region.

Referring initially to FIG. 1 a, a portion of an integrated circuit 2 isillustrated schematically with an I/O pad 4 for connection of an I/Obuffer circuit 6 with external devices or circuitry (not shown). An ESDprotection LNPN 8 is provided to conduct ESD currents from the pad 4 toground. A diode 10 may optionally be included to provide ESD currents toa power supply rail Vdd in combination with the LNPN 8. During an ESDevent, a substrate current Isub 12 flows from the collector C of theLNPN 8 through a substrate resistance Rsub 14, thereby creating a basevoltage Vbe at the base B and turning the LNPN 8 on. The LNPN 8 thenconducts ESD current from the pad 4 at collector C to the groundedemitter E in snapback operation to protect the I/O buffer 6 and othercircuitry in the IC 2 from ESD damage.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1 b, the LNPN 8 (illustrated in dashedlines) is formed from portions of an NMOS transistor 20. The NMOS 20 isformed from a substrate 22 doped with P-type dopants, in which N-typedrain and source regions 24 and 26 are created, respectively. Forexample, the regions 24 and 26 are implanted in the substrate 22 with N+dopants and may further comprise lightly doped (e.g., N−) areas 27partially underlying a gate 28. The gate 28 comprises a polysiliconstructure 30 overlying a P-type channel region 32 in the substratebetween the drain and source regions 24 and 26. The gate 28 includes asilicide region 34 by which the gate 28 is grounded in the configurationshown. The upper portions of the drain and source regions 24 and 26 alsoinclude silicide regions 36 (which are optional), wherein the silicide36 and 34 have a thickness 38. The source region 26 is grounded throughthe suicide 36 in the present configuration and a contact 40, and thedrain region 24 is connected to the pad 4 (FIG. 1 a) via a contact 42.

The lateral NPN bipolar transistor (LNPN) 8 of FIG. 1 a is formed fromthe NMOS device 20, wherein the N-type drain region 24 acts as thecollector C, the N-type source region 26 functions as the emitter E, andthe P type channel region 32 therebetween functions as the base B of theLNPN 8. During an ESD event, ESD current travels from the drain contact42 at the pad 4, through the substrate 22 toward the ground, creatingthe substrate current Isub 12. This current Isub 12, in turn, causes avoltage across the substrate resistance Rsub 14 which turns on thebipolar LNPN 8.

FIGS. 1 c and 1 d are similar to FIGS. 1 a and 1 b except that theyillustrate a PMOS, rather than an NMOS implementation. As with the NMOScase, in the PMOS scenario, a portion of an integrated circuit 100 isillustrated schematically with an I/O pad 102 for connection of an I/Obuffer circuit 104 with devices or circuitry (not shown). It will beappreciated, however, that P-channel MOS (PMOS) transistor devices havenot conventionally been used in electrostatic discharge (ESD) protectiondevices due to, among other things, increased voltages that can resultin high power dissipation and poor ESD protection. However, as noted bythe inventors of the present invention, device scaling and thecorresponding shrinking of device dimensions have allowed the behaviorof the PMOS device to become suitable for use in ESD protection devicesas snapback is occurring at reasonable levels. As a result, PMOS devicescan now be utilized in ESD protection devices while enjoying theintrinsic advantages associated with PMOS devices, such as a relativelylow level of power dissipation, for example.

As with the NMOS implementation, the PMOS device is implemented in amanner designed to protect metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) integratedcircuits (ICs), among other things, wherein a parasitic bipolartransistor (e.g., a lateral PNP, or LPNP) associated with the PMOSdevice turns on to conduct ESD currents from a pad to ground. Thebipolar transistor is formed from the PMOS device, wherein the N-typedoped channel between a drain and source of the transistor acts as thePNP base, and the P-type drain and source act as a bipolar collector andemitter, respectively. Typically, the source, gate and well tie of thePMOS are connected to the pad or pin to be protected and the drain istied to ground. Current flowing through the well to the drain creates abase to emitter voltage (Vbe) sufficient to turn on the bipolar device,whereby further ESD current flows from the source (emitter) at the padto the grounded drain (collector).

Accordingly, an ESD protection LPNP 106 is provided in FIG. 1 c thatacts to conduct ESD currents from the pad 102 to ground. A diode 108 mayoptionally be included to provide ESD currents to a power supply railVdd in combination with the LPNP 106. During an ESD event, a wellcurrent Iwell 110 flows from the well contact of the LPNP 106 through awell resistance Rwell 112, thereby creating a base voltage Vbe at thebase B and turning the LPNP 106 on. The LPNP 106 then conducts ESDcurrent from the pad 102 at emitter E to the grounded collector C insnapback operation to protect the I/O buffer 104 and other circuitry inthe IC 100 from ESD damage.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1 d, the LPNP 106 (depicted in phantom)is formed from portions of a PMOS transistor 114. The PMOS 114 is formedfrom a substrate 116 doped with N-type dopants, in which P-type drainand source regions 118 and 120 are created, respectively. For example,the regions 118 and 120 are implanted in the substrate 116 with P+dopants and may further comprise lightly doped (e.g., P−) areas 122partially underlying a gate 124. The gate 124 comprises, for example, apolysilicon structure 126 overlying an N-type channel region 128 in thesubstrate between the drain and source regions 118 and 120. The gate 124includes a silicide region 130 by which the gate 124 may be connected tothe pad. The upper portions of the drain and source regions 118 and 120also include silicide regions 132 (which are optional), wherein thesilicide 130 and 132 have a thickness 134. In the example shown, thedrain region 118 is grounded through the suicide 132 and a contact 136,and the source region 120 is connected to the pad 102 via a contact 138as is the gate 124 and substrate or well region 116.

It will be appreciated that the lateral PNP bipolar transistor (LPNP)106 of FIG. 1 c is formed from the PMOS device 114, wherein the P-typesource region 120 acts as the emitter E, the P-type drain region 118functions as the collector C, and the N type channel region 128there-between functions as the base B of the LPNP 106. During an ESDevent, ESD current travels from the well contact at the pad 102, throughthe well 116 toward the ground, creating the well current Iwell 110.This current Iwell 110, in turn, causes a voltage across the wellresistance Rwell 112 that turns on the bipolar LPNP 106.

Turning to FIGS. 2 a and 2 b exemplary current vs. voltage curves 200and 250 are illustrated. The curves 200 and 250 correspond to ESDcurrent conduction within a finger of an NMOS or PMOS based ESDprotection device where an associated LNPN or LPNP, respectively,operates to conduct ESD currents in a snapback region, and may undergothermal failure if operated in a second breakdown region. In FIG. 2 a,for example, the LNPN or LPNP (e.g., LNPN 8 of FIGS. 1 a and 1 b or LPNP106 of FIGS. 1 c and 1 d) conducts along the curve 200 until an initialtrigger voltage Vt1 202 (e.g., the breakdown voltage of the ESD finger20 or 114) is reached at a current of It1, after which the voltage dropsto a snapback voltage Vsp 204. The device then conducts ESD currents upto a current level It2 at a corresponding voltage Vt2 206, after whichthe device enters a second breakdown region where thermal breakdown maylikely occur.

In the curve 200 of FIG. 2 a, it is noted that the voltage level Vt1 202is greater than Vt2 206. As discussed above, this situation can causeundesirable operation of ESD protection devices having multi-fingerarchitectures, wherein one or more of the fingers fail to enter thesnapback region by virtue of other fingers entering snapback. Inparticular, one or a few fingers that trigger at Vt1 may operate withinthe snapback region and begin to fully conduct ESD current before theother fingers reach Vt1. That is, breakdown occurs and current spreadsalong the length of the finger, with the reduced snapback voltagecausing other fingers to not break down. In this manner, the ESD currentis not shared among all or substantially all of the fingers, but ratheris “crowded” within a single or merely a few fingers. Further, thetriggered fingers may reach the thermal breakdown voltage Vt2 before theother fingers reach the initial triggering voltage Vt1 or go intosnapback. The ESD protection device may thus become damaged and/or lessuseful for ESD current conduction.

Referring now to FIG. 2 b, a somewhat more desirable current versusvoltage curve 250 is illustrated. In particular, a LNPN or LPNP fingerfor an NMOS or PMOS based ESD protection device respectively conductsESD current until an initial trigger or breakdown voltage Vt1 252 isreached at a current of It1, after which the voltage drops to a snapbackvoltage Vsp 254. The device then conducts ESD currents up to a currentlevel It2 at corresponding voltage Vt2 256, after which the deviceenters a second breakdown region where thermal breakdown may occur. Whenthe NMOS or PMOS operates in the snapback mode or the bipolar breakdownregion, the LNPN or LPNP, respectively, conducts most of the drainterminal current. Since the initial trigger current Vt1 is less thanVt2, it is more likely that multiple fingers will trigger (e.g., reachVt1) before those fingers that are already conducing ESD current reachthe secondary or thermal breakdown voltage Vt2. The ESD current is thusmore likely to be shared among more fingers, and the ESD protectiondevice is consequently more likely to be able to conduct a greateramount of ESD current before becoming susceptible to thermal damage. Itwill be appreciated, however, that while it may be desirable to set Vt2as high as possible, Vt1 need not be less than Vt2 to facilitatemultiple finger firing to mitigate current crowding.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention, and asillustrated and described below, the composition of one or more ends ofone or more fingers is selectively altered, at least relative to otherportions of the fingers, to lower the initial triggering voltage Vt1 ofthe finger ends as compared to central portions of the fingers tofacilitate finger end triggering or firing before any of the fingersbegin to completely conduct ESD current (e.g., by entering the snapbackregion). The composition of the finger ends can be adjusted, forexample, by selectively controlling a source/drain doping activity. Inthis manner, all or substantially all of the fingers are more likely tofire and enter the snapback mode and conduct ESD current during an ESDevent. Thus one or more aspects of the present invention facilitate ESDcurrent distribution among multiple fingers of an ESD protection deviceand the resulting improved ESD protection afforded thereby.

By way of example, treating an ESD protection device that has 16fingers, for example, according to one or more aspects of the presentinvention, can lower a trigger voltage to about 10.5 volts, down from aconventional voltage of about 15 volts. Similarly, treating an ESDprotection device according to one or more aspects of the presentinvention facilitates scalability. For example, a device having 8fingers may have an HBM damage voltage of about 5 kV, whereas a devicehaving twice as many fingers (e.g., 16) may have a damage voltage thatis essentially doubled or about 10 kV.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c, a portion of a substrate 300upon which an ESD protection device can be fashioned in accordance withone or more aspects of the present invention is illustrated. FIG. 3 a isa top plan view of the portion of the substrate 300, while FIGS. 3 b and3 c are cross sectional views of the structure presented in FIG. 3 ataken along lines 3 b—3 b and 3 c—3 c, respectively. The substrate 300generally comprises silicon, and in the illustrated example has aninsulating barrier 302 formed therein or thereon. The barrier 302defines a moat 304 or region wherein source/drain doping maysubsequently occur and ESD fingers may be formed. Such a barrier 302may, for example, be formed from oxide based materials that are designedto electrically isolate active devices or regions from one another. Toform such a barrier 302, portions of the substrate 300 may beselectively exposed via a mask (e.g., of silicon nitride) and/oretching, for example, and be allowed to oxidize, such as by localoxidation of silicon (LOCOS) processes, for example. Such oxidation mayoccur, for example, at about 950 degrees Celsius in the presence ofsteam in the span of about 230 minutes. The oxidized areas can have athickness between about 4000 to about 7000 Angstroms, for example.Further, the moat region 304 may include an etched portion of thesubstrate and/or one or more etched portions of one or more other layers(not shown) formed on the substrate 300. Alternatively, the isolationregion may comprise shallow trench isolation (STI), as may be desired.

Turning to FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c, a portion of a multi-finger NMOS ESDprotection device 400 that is formed on a semiconductor substrate orportion of a wafer 402 according to one or more aspects of the presentinvention is illustrated. FIG. 4 a is a top plan view of the device 400,while FIGS. 4 b and 4 c are cross sectional views of fingers 404 of thedevice 400 taken along lines 4 b—4 b and 4 c—4 c, respectively, of FIG.4 a. The device 400 includes a plurality of source 406, drain 408 andgate regions 410 that comprise, in one example, generally elongateparallel regions. In the illustrated example, the source 406, drain 408and gate regions 410 are formed within a moat region 412 defined withinan insulative surrounding 416 on the substrate 402 such as that depictedin FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c, for example.

Since the device 400 in the present example is an NMOS device, thesource 406 and drain 408 regions are doped with an N-type dopant, suchas arsenic or phosphorous, for example, to have an N+ composition. Thesource 406 and drain 408 regions may, for example, be doped with a doseof about 10¹⁵/cm² at an energy level of about 100 KeV. The substrate 402generally comprises a silicon based material, and as can be seen inFIGS. 4 b and 4 c, can be doped with a P-type dopant, such as boron, forexample, to have a P composition for the NMOS device. The gates 410 aregenerally formed from a polysilicon type material and typically comprisea relatively thin layer of substantially insulative dielectric material420 immediately overlying channel regions 424 within the substrate 402between respective source 406 and drain 408 regions. It will beappreciated that such gates 410 (as well as other gates referencedherein) may further comprise conductive contacts and insulative sidewallspacers (e.g., such as nitride based materials). Such sidewall spacerscan be used, for example, in creating lightly doped drain (LDD) orextension regions in the drain 408 and/or source 406 regions. Suchstructures/features are not, however, depicted in the accompanyingfigures for purposes of simplicity and ease of understanding.

According to one or more aspects of the present invention, portions 430of one or more end regions 426 of one or more of the fingers 404 receivea supplemental doping to more heavily dope the substrate or body region402 within these portions. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4 a,portions 430 of the end regions 426 receiving the supplemental dopingare indicated in phantom. Similarly, the portion 430 of the body 402 ofthe end region 426 that receives supplemental doping in FIG. 4 b is alsooutlined in phantom. It will be appreciated that FIG. 4 c includes noindication of supplemental doping since FIG. 4 c is taken along line 4c—4 c in FIG. 4 a which is drawn across mid-finger regions 440 that donot receive supplemental doping. It will also be appreciated that thesupplemental doping occurs before the gate 410 and dielectric 420 layersare formed such that the supplemental dopants are not blocked by thegate structures. This can be seen in FIG. 4 b where the distribution ofthe supplemental dopants 430 is substantially uniform and not affectedby the gate and dielectric layers.

Where the body 402 of the NMOS device 400 is doped with a P-type dopantto have a P composition, the supplemental doping can increase the dopingin the portions 430 of the end regions 426 so that they have a slightlyP+ composition, for example. It will be appreciated, however, that therelative difference in doping between the body 402 and the more heavilydoped portions 430 of the body is what's important. For example, thesupplemental doping may similarly create P-type portions 430 where thebody is originally doped to have a P minus composition. By way ofexample, the portions 430 of one or more of the end regions 426 may, forexample, receive a supplemental doping of a P-type dopant, such as boronat a dose of about 10¹³/cm² and an energy level of about 300 KeV. Also,it will be appreciated that even though some or all of the source 406and/or drain 408 regions may receive some of the supplemental doping,the drain and source regions are generally so heavily doped that thesupplemental doping has an insubstantial effect on these regions andtheir compositions thus remain effectively the same (e.g., N+ in theNMOS device).

The altered dopant composition in the portions 430 of the body 402 dueto the supplemental doping facilitates lowering the triggering voltagefor the of the end regions 426 of the fingers 404. In this manner, theaffected end regions 402 will be prone to fire more quickly than middleregions 440 of the fingers that receive no supplemental doping.Essentially, the trigger voltage Vt1 for the middle regions 440 of thefingers will remain slightly higher than the trigger voltage Vt1 for theend regions 426 of the fingers 404. Accordingly, it will be more likelythat most, if not all, of the fingers 404 of the ESD protection device400 will trigger before any respective fingers completely enter thesnapback region and begin to conduct current.

It will be appreciated that greater or lesser areas of the finger ends426 can be supplementally doped to achieve the desired firing orlowering of Vt1 in accordance with one or more aspects of the presentinvention. For example, while the supplementally doped portions 430reach into the source regions 406 in the example presented in FIGS. 4 aand 4 b, the doping does not have to extend into these regions.Similarly, the portions 430 do not have to cover the entirety of drainregions 408 at the ends 426 of the fingers 404. Rather, the supplementaldoping may only cover fractional portions of the drain regions 408 toeffectively lower the trigger voltage of the end regions 426 of thefingers 404. By way of example, where the gates 410 have respectivewidths of about 61 micrometers and lengths of about 2.5 micrometers, thesupplemental dopant may only have to extend in or cover about 5micrometers of the end of the drain regions 408. Further, it will beappreciated that both ends of respective fingers 404 may receivesupplemental doping to lower Vt1 at these ends and facilitate concurrentESD current conduction within the fingers.

Turning to FIGS. 5 a, 5 b and 5 c an ESD protection device 500 isillustrated that is treated in accordance with one or more aspects ofthe present invention. The device is similar to the device 400 presentedin FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c except that it is for a PMOS based devicerather than an NMOS based device. Accordingly, FIG. 5 a is a top planview of the device 500, while FIGS. 5 b and 5 c are cross sectionalviews of fingers 504 of the device 500 taken along lines 5 b—5 b and 5c—5 c, respectively, of FIG. 5 a. As with device 400, device 500includes a plurality of source 506, drain 508 and gate regions 510 thatare generally elongate parallel regions. In the illustrated example, thesource 506, drain 508 and gate regions 510 are formed within a moatregion 512 defined within an insulative surrounding 516 on the substrate502.

Since the device 500 is a PMOS device, the source 506 and drain 508regions are doped with a P-type dopant, such as boron, for example, tohave a P+ composition. The source 506 and drain 508 regions may, forexample, be doped with a dopant dose of about 10¹⁴/cm² at an energylevel of about 60 KeV. The substrate 502 generally comprises a siliconbased material, and as can be seen in FIGS. 5 b and 5 c, can be dopedwith an N-type dopant, such as phosphorous or arsenic, for example, tohave an N composition for the PMOS device 500.

According to one or more aspects of the present invention, portions 530of one or more end regions 526 of one or more of the fingers 504 canreceive a supplemental doping to more heavily dope the substrate or bodyregion 502 within these portions. The supplementally doped portions 530are outlined in phantom in FIGS. 5 a and 5 b. In the PMOS device, thesupplemental doping can change doping within the portions 530 to N+ fromN or to N from N minus, for example. This difference in dopantconcentration facilitates lowering the triggering voltage for the endregions 526 of the fingers 504. In this manner, the end regions 526 willbe prone to fire more quickly than middle regions 540 of the fingers 504that do not receive such supplemental doping. Accordingly, most, if notall, of the fingers 504 of the ESD protection device 500 will likelytrigger before any of the respective fingers enter the snapback regionand begin to completely conduct current.

Also, as with device 400, greater or lesser areas of the finger ends 526can be supplementally doped to achieve the desired firing. For example,the supplemental doping does not have to extend into the source regions506 regions. Similarly, the supplemental doping may only cover a portionof the drain regions 508 to effectively lower the trigger voltage of theend regions 526 of the fingers 504. By way of example, the supplementaldopant may only have to extend in to cover about 5 micrometers of theend of the drain regions 508. The portions 530 may, for example, receivea supplemental doping of an N-type dopant, such as phosphorous and/orarsenic, at a concentration of about 10¹³/cm² and an energy level ofabout 300 KeV, for example, to obtain the desired composition within thebody 502.

FIGS. 6 a, 6 b and 6 b also illustrate an ESD protection device 600operative to conduct ESD current in accordance with one or more aspectsof the present invention. The device 600 is an NMOS device similar tothe devices 400 and 500 presented in FIGS. 4 a, 4 b and 4 c and FIGS. 5a, 5 b and 5 c, respectively, having a plurality of generally elongateparallel source 606, drain 608 and gate regions 610 formed within a moatregion 612 defined within an insulative surrounding 616 on a substrate602, where FIG. 6 a is a top plan view of the device 600, while FIGS. 6b and 6 c are cross sectional views of fingers 604 of the device 600taken along lines 6 b—6 b and 6 c—6 c, respectively, of FIG. 6 a.However, unlike devices 400 and 500, supplemental doping is notimplemented to alter end regions 626 of fingers 604 of the device 600 sothat the end regions trigger before middle regions 640 of the fingers604.

Instead of supplemental doping the end regions 626, source/drain dopantthat is normally applied to the source 606 and drain 608 regions ispulled in (as depicted in phantom 630) so that end regions 626 have adopant composition different from that of more central regions 640 ofthe fingers 604. The dopant may, for example, be pulled in so that about5 micrometers of the end regions 626 that formerly would have receivedsource/drain doping, are no longer doped. The adjusted application ofthe dopant can be achieved in any suitable manner, such as byphotolithographic and/or other techniques, for example. Additionally,since the device 600 is a PMOS device, the source 606 and drain 608regions are doped with an N-type dopant, such as arsenic or phosphorous,for example, to have an N+ composition (FIGS. 6 a and 6 c). The source406 and drain 408 regions may, for example, be doped with a dopantconcentration of about 10¹⁴/cm² at an energy level of about 60 KeV. Thesubstrate 602 can be doped with a P-type dopant, such as boron, forexample, to have a P composition for the NMOS device.

However, unlike devices 400 and 500, as shown in FIGS. 4 b and 5 b, endregions 626 receive no supplemental doping. Rather, the end regions 626have a dopant composition different from that of central regions 640 ofthe fingers 604 by virtue of a lack of source/drain doping. Inparticular, the more central regions 640 of the fingers 604 remainexposed to the normal source/drain doping such that these source 606 anddrain 608 regions have an N+ composition for the NMOS device (FIG. 6 c),whereas the source 606 and drain 608 regions at the end regions 626merely possess doping corresponding to any previous treatment of thesubstrate or body 602 (FIG. 6 b).

In the example illustrated, the body 602 in the end regions 626 has aP-type composition (FIGS. 6 a and 6 b). The doping contrast within thebody 602 between the end regions 626 of the fingers 604 and the middleregions 640 of the fingers at the source 606 and drain 608 regionsprovides a relatively sharp corner on the drain to body interface thatfacilitates breakdown and lowering of the triggering voltage for the endregions 626 of the fingers 604. In this manner, the end regions 626 willbe prone to fire more quickly than doped middle portions 640 of thefingers. Essentially, the trigger voltage Vt1 for the middle portions640 of the fingers will remain slightly higher than the trigger voltageVt1 for the end portions 626 of the fingers 604. Accordingly, it will bemore likely that most, if not all, of the fingers 604 of the ESDprotection device 600 will trigger before any respective fingers 604begin to fully conduct ESD current by entering the snapback region.

FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c similarly illustrate pulling in source/draindopants to alter end regions 726 of one or more fingers 704 of an ESDprotection device 700. However, FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c depict a PMOSdevice rather than an NMOS based device as presented in FIGS. 6 a, 6 band 6 c. As with device 600, ESD protection device 700 has a pluralityof generally elongate parallel source 706, drain 708 and gate regions710 formed within a moat region 712 defined within an insulativesurrounding 716 on a substrate 702, where FIG. 7 a is a top plan view ofthe ESD protection device 700, while FIGS. 7 b and 7 c are crosssectional views of fingers 704 of the device 700 taken along lines 7 b—7b and 7 c—7 c, respectively, of FIG. 7 a.

Since device 700 is a PMOS based ESD protection device, P-typesource/drain dopants, such as boron, for example, are pulled in (asdepicted in phantom 730) so that about 5 micrometers of the end regions726 are not doped. In this manner, end portions of the source 706 anddrain 708 regions have an N composition corresponding to that of thedoped substrate 702 (FIGS. 7 a and 7 b). More centralized regions 740 ofthe fingers 704, on the other hand, receive the normal source/draindoping to have a P+ composition (FIGS. 7 a and 7 c). The differentdopings mitigate current crowding by lowering Vt1 at the end regions 726of the fingers 704

FIGS. 8 a, 8 b and 8 c further illustrate an ESD protection device 800treated in accordance with one or more aspects of the present inventionto lower a triggering voltage of one or more end regions 826 of one ormore fingers 804 of the device 800. However, rather than supplementaldoping or repositioning source/drain dopings as depicted in FIGS. 4 a, 4b and 4 c and 5 a, 5 b and 5 c and FIGS. 6 a, 6 b and 6 c and 7 a, 7 band 7 c, respectively, portions 830 of the end regions 826 of thefingers are covered with a material 830 to inhibit source/drain dopantsfrom entering the substrate at these locations. An NMOS based device 800is depicted where FIG. 8 a is a top plan view of the ESD protectiondevice 800, while FIGS. 8 b and 8 c are cross sectional views of fingers804 of the device 800 taken along lines 8 b—8 b and 8 c—8 c,respectively, of FIG. 8 a.

As with the other devices referenced herein, ESD protection device 800has a plurality of generally elongate parallel source 806, drain 808 andgate regions 810 formed within a moat region 812 defined within aninsulative surrounding 816 on a substrate 802. Being an NMOS device, theESD protection device is doped so that source 806 and drain 808 regionshave an N+ composition. Additionally, the substrate 802 or body of thedevice 800 is doped to have a P-type dopant composition.

In the example illustrated, about 5 micrometers of drain area at ends826 of the fingers 804 have a P composition corresponding to that of theP doped substrate 802 due to the overlying material 830. Material 830can, for example, be formed from the same material utilized to form(polysilicon) gates 810. The layer of gate material would simply not beremoved (e.g., etched away) at this location 830 during gate formation,and would block source/drain dopants from entering the substrate 802 atthese locations. A substantially sharp implant is thus obtained withinthe body 802 at the interface of the doped mid regions 840 of thefingers 804 and the covered portions 830 of the end regions 826 of thefingers 804. A sharp corner/dopant profile created thereby facilitatesbreakdown and lowering of the initial triggering voltage Vt1 at theaffected end regions 826 of the fingers 804.

FIGS. 9 a, 9 b and 9 c similarly illustrate a material 930 overlyingabout 5 micrometers, for example, of a drain 908 region at one or moreends 926 of one or more fingers 904 of an ESD protection device 900 tolower initial triggering voltages and mitigate current crowding. Thedevice 900 is a PMOS based ESD protection device, however, and has aplurality of generally elongate parallel source 906, drain 908 and gateregions 910 formed within a moat region 912 defined within an insulativesurrounding 916 on a substrate 902. As with the other examples, FIG. 9 ais a top plan view of the ESD protection device 900, while FIGS. 9 b and9 c are cross sectional views of fingers 904 of the device 900 takenalong lines 9 b—9 b and 9 c—9 c, respectively, of FIG. 9 a.

The source 906 and drain 908 regions have a P+ composition fromsource/drain doping, while a portion of drain regions under (gate)material 930 has an N composition (FIG. 9 b) corresponding to that ofthe doped substrate 902. P-type dopants, such as boron, for example, canbe applied to the source 906 and drain 908 regions, while the substrate902 can be doped with phosphorous and/or arsenic. The difference indopant composition within the body 902 at the interface of the end 926and the middle 940 regions of the fingers 904 provides a substantiallysharp dopant profile that facilitates breakdown and lowering of thetriggering voltage at the affected end regions 926 of the fingers 904 tofacilitate concurrent ESD current conduction.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to oneor more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications willoccur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding ofthis specification and the annexed drawings. In addition, while aparticular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respectto one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with oneor more other features of the other implementations as may be desiredand advantageous for any given or particular application. It will beappreciated that the term substrate is intended to include asemiconductor substrate, a semiconductor epitaxial layer deposited orotherwise formed on a substrate and/or any other type of semiconductorbody regardless of its composition and/or manner of manner of creation.Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes”, “including”,“has”, “having”, “with”, or variants thereof are used in either thedetailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Also, the term“exemplary” is intended to mean an example, rather than the best.

1. An ESD protection device operative to protect an associatedintegrated circuit from an ESD event, comprising: a MOS devicecomprising a plurality of elongate or longitudinally extendingsource/drain regions forming fingers where at least some portion of oneor more end regions of the fingers has a dopant characteristic thatvaries relative to respective middle regions of the fingers so that thevaried end regions have an initial trigger voltage that is lower than atrigger voltage at the middle regions of the fingers.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more varied end regions are supplementallydoped such that a body is more heavily doped at the end regions than atthe respective middle regions.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein about 5micrometers of the one or more varied end regions are supplementallydoped.
 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the device is an NMOS baseddevice and the supplemental doping comprises a P-type dopant.
 5. Thedevice of claim 4, wherein the supplemental doping is performed at adose of about 10¹³/cm² and an energy level of about 300 KeV.
 6. Thedevice of claim 5, wherein the fingers are formed upon and/or out of a Psubstrate.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the source and drainregions have an N+ dopant composition.
 8. The device of claim 2, whereinthe device is a PMOS based device and the supplemental doping comprisesan N-type dopant.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the supplementaldoping is performed at a dose of about 10¹³/cm² and an energy level ofabout 300 KeV.
 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the fingers are formedupon and/or out of an N substrate.
 11. The device of claim 1, whereinthe fingers are formed upon and/or out of a substrate and a dopantapplied to the source/drain regions is pulled in so that the portions ofthe end regions receive little to no source/drain doping.
 12. The deviceof claim 11, wherein the device is an NMOS based device and the portionsof the end regions have a P dopant composition corresponding to that ofthe substrate and the doped portions of the source and drain regionshave an N+ dopant composition.
 13. The device of claim 11, wherein thedevice is a PMOS based device and the portions of the end regions havean N dopant composition corresponding to that of the substrate and thedoped portions of the source and drain regions have a P+ dopantcomposition.
 14. The device of claim 11, wherein the portions of the endregions comprise about 5 micrometers of the fingers.
 15. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the portions of the one or more end regions are coveredwith a layer of material that inhibits source/drain dopant atoms fromentering the portions.
 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the fingersare formed upon and/or out of a substrate and the device is an NMOSbased device and the portions of the one or more end regions have a Pdopant composition corresponding to that of the substrate and the dopedportions of the source and drain regions have an N+ dopant composition.17. The device of claim 15, wherein the fingers are formed upon and/orout of a substrate and the device is a PMOS based device and theportions of the one or more end regions have an N dopant compositioncorresponding to that of the substrate and the doped portions of thesource and drain regions have a P+ dopant composition.
 18. The device ofclaim 15, wherein the portions of the end regions comprise about 5micrometers of the fingers.
 19. The device of claim 15, wherein thelayer of material comprises polysilicon.
 20. The device of claim 19,wherein the fingers further comprise elongate or longitudinallyextending gate regions formed out of the polysilicon.
 21. The device ofclaim 15, wherein the layer of material covers a drain region at the endregions.
 22. An ESD protection device operative to protect an associatedintegrated circuit from an ESD event, comprising: a MOS devicecomprising a plurality of elongate or longitudinally extendingsource/drain and gate regions forming fingers where about 5 micrometersof one or more end regions of the fingers has a dopant characteristicthat varies relative to respective middle regions of the fingers so thatthe fingers having the varied end regions have an initial triggervoltage at the varied ends that is lower than a trigger voltage atmiddle regions of the respective fingers.